India confident IOC ban will be lifted
Exiles from the Olympic community since December, Indian association are in talks with the IOC to end their suspension.
Indian Sports Minister Jitender Singh said after a meeting with IOC officials on Wednesday that he is hopeful the country’s Olympic suspension will be lifted soon.
“The road map has been decided to bring India back in the Olympic fold and more details are being worked out,” Jitender told the NDTV news channel.
“The IOC has agreed to work with the Indian government on a new proposed sports code, which is a major achievement. The IOC, IOA and the government are on the same page.”
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“The IOC has agreed to work with the Indian government on a new proposed sports code, which is a major achievement. The IOC, IOA and the government are on the same page” Indian Sports Minister Jitender Singh |
The Indian Olympic Association was suspended by the IOC in December after holding elections based on a government sports code and not in accordance with its own constitution.
The International Olympic Committee’s ethics commission also ruled at the time that tainted officials shouldn’t hold administrative posts. Lalit Bhanot was declared elected unopposed as the IOA’ s new secretary-general despite spending close to a year in jail for corruption related to the 2010 Commonwealth Games in New Delhi.
Jitender led a four-member delegation that met with IOC representatives on Wednesday.
Members of the IOA also met the IOC officials, though the main officials of the body recognized by the IOC – acting president Vijay Kumar Malhotra and secretary-general Randhir Singh – boycotted the meeting. They objected to the IOC invitation to representatives of the body that was elected in the illegal elections on December 5.
An Olympic suspension means a national body is ineligible for IOC funding, officials from the suspended federation are barred from attending international meetings and its athletes can’t compete under their national flag at the Olympics.